Bus bike racks

[Venod]

I was watching a youtube vid of american buses with the youngest grandchild, several had bike racks on the front, I have never seen this in the UK are they used by any public transport in the UK ?

 

[Milkfloat]

I have never seen them in the UK, but have used one in Chicago, it worked very well.

 

[robjh]

A few years back some buses on key routes in Snowdonia did this but I don't think it lasted that long. I remember sitting in the square in Dolgellau and seeing these on the Bangor-Aberystwyth and Barmouth-Llangollen routes. From memory I think it was limited to 2 bikes.

 

[Venod]

A few years back some buses on key routes in Snowdonia did this but I don't think it lasted that long. I remember sitting in the square in Dolgellau and seeing these on the Bangor-Aberystwyth and Barmouth-Llangollen routes. From memory I think it was limited to 2 bikes.

Looked like a two bike carrier on the US ones.

 

[MichaelW2]

Norwegian coaches have them on the back. There is no strap or holding device, and I was relieved to find my bike still attached to the coach after a 2 hr journey.

 

[andytheflyer]

Used to have them on the A41 south of Chester - think Chester to Whitchurch route. I never saw a bike on a bus over 3 or4 years - so the carriers were removed.

 

[twentysix by twentyfive]

Good Idea thobut Just needs a bit of take up

 

[summerdays]

I thought there was a problem with fitting them on the front? Possibly to do with pedestrian safety but I could be making that bit up.

 

[andytheflyer]

I thought there was a problem with fitting them on the front? Possibly to do with pedestrian safety but I could be making that bit up.

The ones on the A41 had them on the front.

 

[SteCenturion]

Good Idea thobut Just needs a bit of take up

To be brutally honest, in the vast majority of decent sized/populated conurbations this would never work.

I work in the public transport industry over several modes, mainly bus & my reasoning is this.

Cost.

I can't think of an operator that would likely fund the cost of adapting buses to take a front rack *rear racks are out as that is where the engine bay access panels are situated.

Any adaptations would likely require approvals *vehicle type* DVLA, testing etc incurring further cost.

Any adaptations would incur further insurance risk & therefore cost
*if an insurer would accept such adaptations*

Legal.

Liability for claims against operators for damaged bikes.

Crime.

Any bus carrying bikes would be targeted by scummers.

Logistics/Time.

Loading & unloading takes time.
Many routes operate within very tight time frames with little to zero turnaround time.

There might well be another dozen reasons/examples of how unfeasible this might be.

In low population, mainly rural areas this might have more of a chance of working & on distance coaches also, but I wouldn't hold my breath.

 

[SteCenturion]

[QUOTE 3842259, member: 259"]And yet they manage to do it in Los Angeles.[/QUOTE]
That is surprising..

Slightly different culturally but an even more litigious state.

 

[rualexander]

They have bike racks on the front of many urban buses in Australia and New Zealand too

 

[Debade]

On N. Sea tour now. The one thing that stood out to me was no bike racks on buses. Other than that, most USA towns are FAR behind UK, Holland
Ger. and Den.

As for litigation, USA has mostly overcome the initial concerns

 

[growingvegetables]

All the local routes operated by First around Hebden Bridge used to have a rack for two bikes on the back; new operator now, so I've no idea if they've continued the service. It was a real godsend!

[edited Sunday] Yup - racks are gone. Happened to be in HB today.

 

[Flying Dodo]

When I was in Las Vegas about 10 years ago, I was surprised to see that most of the buses had bike racks fitted to the front. Never saw any bikes in them. And in fact apart from a hippy riding a very beat up bike, during the course of a week, the only other cyclists I saw there was a group of police cyclists.